UPDATE-Picked up a new 2013 Leaf SV, but with a problem...

[cgaydos]

So this may not be as bad a mistake as it seems. I don't know about the Leaf manufacturing process but it's common in the industry to have the seats be covered when delivered to the factory then to have the covers not removed until much later. This protects the interior from accidents. For this reason the problem would have been introduced by the seat supplier, with a wrong label on the seat bottom part.

Granted, someone should have caught this before it got to the delivery stage, but depending on the QA process used the Leaf may actually have kept on the protective covers until the very end - meaning that such an error would be hard to detect.

 

[mkjayakumar]

I still don't know what the big deal is to get so upset about. If i were you, i would just say thank you and keep the leather and move on.

This goof-up is no way an indication of the quality of the vehicle as a whole.

 

[kubel]

I would take it back and ask "where's the rest of my leather".

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

i agree that the leather is a plus especially on the seat bottom where the stains and spills are MUCH more likely.

i would keep it as a bonus as well.

on the note of factory defects? we had a few at Ford that were documented and filed when the vehicle was sold with instructions to fix "no questions asked" if the customer brought it up.

most were very minor cosmetic flaws like under spray or over spray. was common to see the paint line come up short on the interior door jambs and stuff. panels were still coated so corrosion was not an issue but if you got on your hands and knees and looked up, you could see it.

1 in 5 might bring it back. we also had issues with My Touch which we let go because there was a software fix in the works. we simply didnt tell the customer that features were missing and only 1 in maybe 25 caught the issue. the rest thought they were getting something for nothing when the software fix was released...

so ya, variances happen all the time and most of the time, they are known.

 

[redLEAF]

One other thing to add, but again no excuse in QC, the new cloth SV color and new leather color seat are quite similar and when you add the fact that they would both be covered with clear semi-transparent plastic during the install at the factory it was probably due to a mis-labeled seat from the seat supplier and although should have been caught by the dealer during final prep they missed it. The easiest fix would simply be to take the rear seat bottom out of another SV and order a replacement for that car and have you on your way ... I had a Mazda dealer do that for me on a piece of cracked trim at time of new car delivery as they of course wanted me to be happy. Now, if they don't have any other SV's to swap it with that's another story ... hopefully this 'incident' will go back to the TN factory as one other thing to check before they load these up to go to dealer's, it wouldn't bother me as long as they make it right but again may make you wonder a bit on what else they might have missed as others have said.

 

[EricBayArea]

It takes 10 seconds to replace the bottom cushion of the back seat. The whole thing is held in by 6 plastic snaps. I know because I popped mine out in order to put shims on the rear seat belt receptacles to keep them from falling into the seat cushions. You literally grab the corner and pull up and it comes off.

So once the dealership orders your new rear seat cushion in non-leather, they should have it swapped in a few minutes.

 

[Herm]

.. but again may make you wonder a bit on what else they might have missed as others have said.

Quick, do a range test..

 

[ksnogas2112]

PhatCat - I think Dave hit it on the head. Additionally from a cost standpoint, there is possibly an issue on trying to keep the factory costs inline for the first year and to keep that aspect they'll put the labor cost on the dealer or take it off a different book to keep the brand new factory clean.

Don't get me wrong, I totally get you're anger. When you buy a new car you want it to be perfect and anything less than that causes emotional conflict that you don't want.

I do like everyone's response, get the rest of the leather =)

 

[nater]

The dealership will receive a seat cover, which is the cloth part that attaches over the foam and the frame, which will be attached with c-rings. The repair may take a while, but it will be perfect.

What I would do, is call the dealer and have them swap the entire rear bottom seat (takes 10 seconds, no tools) with a car on the lot, and have them repair that one at their leisure.

Nate

 

[ksnogas2112]

The dealership will receive a seat cover, which is the cloth part that attaches over the foam and the frame, which will be attached with c-rings. The repair may take a while, but it will be perfect.

What I would do, is call the dealer and have them swap the entire rear bottom seat (takes 10 seconds, no tools) with a car on the lot, and have them repair that one at their leisure.

Nate

+1 ...best suggestion yet Nate!

 

[Publius]

Someday you will think back and laugh. But tomorrow, I would try what Nate suggested. It's a reasonable idea.

 

[KillaWhat]

It's been 7 days since the first post here.

Considering the level of "concern" expressed by the original poster, I'm sure there is an update as to how this was handled.

Can you tell us what has transpired?

Thanks

 

[Phatcat73]

It's about 90% resolved. Nissan Corporate has gone over the top in rectifying. I'll update the original post once fully resolved.

 

[thankyouOB]

furious?
that is odd to me. maybe there is more to this.

 

[QueenBee]

It's about 90% resolved. Nissan Corporate has gone over the top in rectifying. I'll update the original post once fully resolved.

This is the kind of opportunity where Nissan Corporate and the dealer can convert a negative thing into a big win by providing awesome support on something that is easy to fix, clear on what the resolution is, and had a huge impact on your confidence. Sounds like maybe they took this opportunity and did just that. Let us know the update.

I hope from a factory build quality issue that this was just missed because the part was covered the entire time. Hopefully there is a reasonable explanation as to how it got installed such as the supplier putting the wrong part number on it/etc. I wonder if this was systemic and happened to other LEAFs.

It would be really interesting to check the part number. If it has the wrong part number then I wonder if Nissan already knew there was mistake somewhere since it would mean there inventory would be off by at least 1.

So I hope your fiancé doesn't have a moral issue with leather as then I could see why this is such a huge issue. I also hope you've gotten to drive your LEAF for the last week and that experience has been transformative.

Let us know how things turned out.

 

[Phatcat73]

Original post updated.

 

[mwalsh]

Glad it was sorted to your satisfaction.

 

[sproqitman]

What happened to the leather bench? I'd like to pop it into my 2011 and see if I can get one of those Leaf toy cars: "Hey, we finally looked in the back seat after 2 years and noticed that the seat bottom didn't match the backs."

 

[LTLFTcomposite]

(already said)

 

[ksnogas2112]

2 months payments...that's awesome and well over $1000. glad it all worked out.